Modular photovoltaic power supply assembly

ABSTRACT

An apparatus, device, and system for generating an amount of output power in response to a direct current (DC) power input includes a configurable power supply, which may be electrically coupled to the DC power input. The configurable power supply is selectively configurable between multiple circuit topologies to generate various DC power outputs and/or and AC power output. The system may also include one or more DC power electronic accessories, such as DC-to-DC power converters, and/or one or more AC power electronic accessories such as DC-to-AC power converters. The power electronic accessories are couplable to the configurable power supply to receive the corresponding DC or AC power output of the configurable power supply.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED U.S. PATENT APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/089,425, entitled “Modular Photovoltaic Power Supply Assembly,” which was filed on Nov. 25, 2013 and which is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/180,168, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,599,587, entitled “Modular Photovoltaic Power Supply Assembly,” which was filed on Jul. 11, 2011 and which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/479,844, entitled “MODULAR PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SUPPLY ASSEMBLY” by Patrick Chapman, which was filed on Apr. 27, 2011, the entirety of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

Cross-reference is also made to U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 13/180,170, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,174,856, entitled “CONFIGURABLE POWER SUPPLY ASSEMBLY” by Patrick Chapman, which was filed on Jul. 11, 2011 and to U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 13/180,176, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,193,788, entitled “METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING A CONFIGURABLE POWER SUPPLY” by Patrick Chapman, which was filed on Jul. 11, 2011, the entirety of each of which is incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates, generally, to photovoltaic (PV) modules and associated power electronic devices, and more particularly, to power converters for converting direct current (DC) power generated by PV modules to DC or alternating current (AC) power.

BACKGROUND

Photovoltaic (PV) modules typically include a large number of individual solar cells that each generate a small amount of DC power at very low voltage levels. As such, the individual solar cells are electrically connected together in serial strings of solar cells such that the PV module, as a whole, generates DC power at a low voltage level (e.g., about 25 volts). For example, as shown in FIG. 22, a typical photovoltaic module 2200 includes a housing 2202 and a plurality of solar cells 2204 defined on a front side 2206 of the housing 2202. To allow interconnection of the photovoltaic module 2200 with other modules 2200, typical photovoltaic modules 2200 include a junction box 2300 located on a back side 2208 of the housing 2202 as shown in FIG. 23. The junction box 2300 typically houses a simplistic, passive connection circuit 2302 that facilitates the interconnection of multiple photovoltaic modules 2200 in a parallel or serial configuration. A typical passive connection circuit 2302 includes a pair of bypass diodes, which provide an alternate current path through the photovoltaic module 2200 should one of the solar cell strings of the module 2200 become damaged, shaded, or otherwise inoperable. A pair of output wires 2304 extend from the junction box 2300 and allow the photovoltaic module 2200 to be coupled with other modules 2200 or with other electronic devices.

One example of an electronic device that may be attached to the photovoltaic module is a microinverter. Microinverters convert the DC power generated by the associated individual photovoltaic module 2200 into an AC power suitable for supplying energy to an AC grid and/or an AC load coupled to the AC grid. Microinverters may be coupled directly to the housing 2202 of the photovoltaic module 2200 via screws, adhesive, or other securing devices. Alternatively, microinverters may be coupled directly to the junction box 2300. The output wires 2304 of the photovoltaic module 2200 are electrically coupled to input connections of the microinverter. The output of the microinverter may be coupled to the outputs of other microinverters of a string of PV modules 2200.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect, an assembly for generating an amount of output power in response to a direct current (DC) power input signal may include a power supply and an AC electronic accessory device. The power supply may include power supply housing. Additionally, the power supply may include a configurable power supply circuit located in the housing to receive the DC power input signal. The configurable power supply may be selectively configurable, based on at least one control signal, between a first circuit topology to generate a DC power signal at a DC output of the configurable power supply and a second circuit topology to generate an alternating current (AC) power signal at an AC output of the configurable power supply. The AC electronic accessory device may include an accessory housing removably coupled to the power supply housing and may also include an internal electronic circuit located in the accessory housing. The accessory housing may enclose the internal electronic circuit to physically separate the internal electronic circuit from the configurable power supply circuit. The internal electronic circuit may include an AC input inductively coupled with the AC output of the configurable power supply circuit when the AC electronic accessory device is coupled to the power supply housing.

In some embodiments, the AC output of the configurable power supply may include a primary coil. Additionally, in some embodiments, the AC input of the internal electronic circuit may include a secondary coil.

The power supply housing may include an inductive coupling receptacle defined in a sidewall of the power supply housing. Additionally or alternatively, the accessory housing may include an inductive coupling connector extending outwardly from a sidewall of the accessory housing. The inductive coupling connector may be received in the inductive coupling receptacle when the AC electronic accessory device is coupled to the power supply housing to inductively couple the AC input of the internal electronic circuit to the AC output of the configurable power supply circuit.

In some embodiments, the inductive coupling connector may include an internal chamber. In such embodiments, at least a portion of the secondary coil of the internal electronic circuit may be positioned in the internal chamber of the inductive coupling connector.

The AC electronic accessory device may have an elongated ferrite core having a first end and a second end. In such embodiments, the secondary coil of the configurable power supply may be wound around the first end of the elongated ferrite core and the second end of the ferrite core may be positioned in the internal chamber of the inductive coupling connector.

In some embodiments, the inductive coupling connector and the inductive coupling receptacle may have a substantially rectangular cross-section. In such embodiments, the inductive coupling receptacle may have a slightly larger cross-sectional area than the inductive coupling connector to allow the inductive coupling connector to be received in the inductive coupling receptacle. Additionally, in some embodiments, the inductive coupling receptacle may have a plurality of receptacle sidewalls attached to a rear wall that is inset relative to the sidewall of the power supply housing. The primary coil of the reconfigurable power supply circuit may be wound around the plurality of sidewalls of the inductive coupling receptacle.

In some embodiments, the power supply housing may include a first attachment connector defined in the sidewall of the power supply housing. In such embodiments, the accessory housing may include a second attachment connector extending outwardly from the sidewall of the accessory housing. Additionally, the second attachment may be configured to mate with the first attachment connector to attach the accessory housing to the power supply housing.

The AC electronic accessory device may form part of an AC-to-DC power inverter when inductively coupled to the configurable power supply circuit. Additionally or alternatively, the assembly may include a DC electronic accessory device. The DC electronic accessory device may have a housing configured to couple to the power supply housing in place of the AC electronic accessory device. In such embodiments, the DC electronic accessory device may include an internal DC circuit located in the housing and configured to electrically connect to the DC output of the configurable power supply circuit when the housing of the DC electronic accessory device is coupled to the power supply housing.

According to another aspect, a configurable power supply which may include a housing, a configurable power supply circuit, and a plurality of attachment connectors. The housing may include a sidewall. Additionally, the configurable power supply circuit may be located in the housing and may be configured to receive a direct current (DC) power input signal. Furthermore, the configurable power supply circuit may be selectively configurable, based on at least one control signal, between a first circuit topology to generate a DC power signal at a DC output of the configurable power supply and a second circuit topology to generate an alternating current (AC) power signal at an AC output of the configurable power supply different from the DC output. The plurality of attachment connectors may be secured to the sidewall and configured to receive corresponding attachment connectors of an electronic accessory to secure the electronic accessory to the housing.

In some embodiments, the DC output of the configurable power supply may be a pair of electrical wires extending out of the sidewall of the housing. Additionally or alternatively, the DC output of the configurable power supply may be a pair of DC receptacles attached to the sidewall of the housing.

The configurable power supply may also include a pair of plugs. In such embodiments, each plug may be removably insertable into a corresponding DC receptacle to environmentally seal the DC receptacle. Additionally or alternatively, the configurable power supply may include a pair of DC electrical wires. Each pair of DC electrical wires may have a first end. Furthermore, the first end of the pair of DC electrical wires may have a plug configured to mate with a corresponding one of the DC receptacles.

In some embodiments, AC output may include a primary coil. In such embodiments, the housing may include an inductive coupling receptacle defined in the sidewall. Additionally, the primary coil may be wound around a plurality of inner sidewalls of the inductive coupling receptacle. In some embodiments, the AC output may be a primary coil wound around a first end of a ferrite core. The housing may include an inductively coupling connector extending from the sidewall. Moreover, the inductively coupling connector may include an internal chamber. The internal chamber may have a second end of the ferrite core positioned therein.

According to a further aspect, a photovoltaic module. The photovoltaic module may include a housing, a direct current (DC) power source positioned in the housing, a junction box, and a configurable power supply circuit. The direct current (DC) power source may positioned in the housing and may include a plurality of solar cells located on a front side of the housing which may be configured to generate a DC power input signal in response to receiving an amount of sun light. The junction box may be secured to a back side of the housing. In such embodiments, the configurable power supply circuit may be located in the junction box. Additionally, the configurable power supply circuit may be configured to receive the DC power input signal. The configurable power supply circuit may be selectively configurable based on at least one control signal, between a first circuit topology to generate a DC power signal at a DC output of the configurable power supply and a second circuit topology to generate an alternating current (AC) power signal at an AC output of the configurable power supply different from the DC output. Furthermore, the DC output may include a first and second DC receptacles attached to a sidewall of the junction box. The AC output may include an inductive coupling receptacle defined in the sidewall between the first and second DC receptacles.

The AC electronic accessory device may include an accessory housing removably coupled to the power supply housing. In such embodiments, the accessory housing may include an inductive coupling connector extending outwardly from a sidewall of the accessory housing. The inductive coupling connector may be received in the inductive coupling receptacle. Additionally, the internal electronic circuit located in the accessory housing may include an AC input inductively coupled with the AC output of the configurable power supply circuit.

Similarly, the DC accessory may include an accessory housing removably coupled to the power supply housing. The accessory housing may include a first and a second DC connector extending outwardly from a sidewall of the accessory housing. Each of the first and second DC connectors may be received in a corresponding one of the first and second DC receptacles. Additionally, the internal electronic circuit located in the accessory housing may include a DC input electrically connect with the DC output of the configurable power supply circuit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of one embodiment of a modular photovoltaic (PV) power supply assembly;

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of one embodiment of a configurable power supply of the modular photovoltaic power supply assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of one embodiment of an input converter of the configurable power supply of FIG. 2

FIG. 4 is a simplified electrical schematic of one embodiment of the input converter of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a simplified electrical schematic of the input converter of FIG. 4 configured to an illustrative circuit topology;

FIG. 6 is a simplified electrical schematic of the input converter of FIG. 4 configured to another circuit topology;

FIG. 7 is a simplified electrical schematic of the input converter of FIG. 4 configured to a further circuit topology;

FIG. 8 is a simplified illustration of one embodiment of a PV module junction box of the modular photovoltaic power supply assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a simplified illustration of another embodiment of a PV module junction box of the modular photovoltaic power supply assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a simplified illustration of another embodiment of a PV module junction box of the modular photovoltaic power supply assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a simplified illustration of one embodiment of a DC electronic accessory device of the modular photovoltaic power supply assembly of FIG. 1 being coupled to the PV module junction box of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a simplified illustration of one embodiment of a PV module junction box and an AC electronic accessory device of the modular photovoltaic power supply assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is a simplified illustration of another embodiment of a PV module junction box and an AC electronic accessory device of the modular photovoltaic power supply assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 is a simplified block diagram of the configurable power supply and an AC electronic accessory device of the modular photovoltaic power supply assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a simplified block diagram of one embodiment of an AC electronic accessory device of the modular photovoltaic power supply assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 is a simplified schematic of one embodiment of the AC electronic accessory device of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a simplified block diagram of one embodiment of the PV module junction box and an AC electronic accessory device of the modular photovoltaic power supply assembly of FIG. 1 having corresponding inductive coupling connectors;

FIG. 18 is a simplified block diagram of another embodiment of an AC electronic accessory device couplable to the configurable power supply of the modular photovoltaic power supply assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 is a simplified block diagram of one embodiment of the AC electronic accessory device of the FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a simplified schematic of one embodiment of the AC electronic accessory device of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a simplified flowchart of one embodiment of a method for controlling a configurable power supply;

FIG. 22 is a simplified illustration of a typical photovoltaic (PV) module; and

FIG. 23 is a simplified block of a back side of the typical PV module of FIG. 22.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific exemplary embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit the concepts of the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

References in the specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “an example embodiment”, etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

Some embodiments of the disclosure, or portions thereof, may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. Embodiments of the disclosure may also be implemented as instructions stored on a tangible, machine-readable medium, which may be read and executed by one or more processors. A machine-readable medium may include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computing device). For example, a machine-readable medium may include read only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory devices; and others.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a modular photovoltaic (PV) power supply assembly 100 includes a PV module 102 having a housing 104 and a junction box 106 attached to the housing 104. Illustratively, the junction box 106 is attached to a rear side 108 of the housing 104 but may be attached to other areas of the housing 104 in other embodiments. The PV power supply assembly 100 also includes a configurable power supply circuit 110 located in the junction box 106. Unlike the passive circuits located in junction boxes of typical photovoltaic modules, the configurable power supply circuit 110 is an active circuit configurable to generate a DC or AC power output as discussed in more detail below.

In some embodiments, the modular PV power supply assembly 100 may also include one or more electronic accessory devices 120, which may be embodied as a DC electronic accessory devices 122 (i.e., an electronic accessory configured to receive a DC power output from the configurable power supply circuit 110), an AC electronic accessory device 124 (i.e., an electronic accessory configured to receive a AC power output from the configurable power supply circuit 110), or other electronic devices. As discussed in more detail below, the accessory devices 120 are configured to connect or otherwise couple with the junction box 106 to receive a DC and/or AC power output therefrom. The accessory devices 120 include internal circuitry that becomes electrically or inductively coupled to the configurable power supply circuit 110 when the accessory device is connected to the junction box 106. In this way, a new or complete electronic circuit may be formed by electrically coupling of the configurable power supply circuit 110 and the internal circuitry of the accessory device 120. The DC electronic accessory device 122 may be embodied as any type of electronic device couplable to the junction box 106 and configured to receive a DC power output therefrom such as, for example, a low voltage DC-to-DC power converter, a high voltage DC-to-DC power converter, a DC power optimizer, or the like. Similarly, the AC electronic accessory device 124 may be embodied as any type of electronic device couplable to the junction box 106 and configured to inductively couple to the configurable power supply circuit 110 to receive an AC power output therefrom such as, for example, a single phase AC-to-AC power converter (e.g., to form a single phase DC-to-AC converter when coupled with the configurable power supply to circuit 110), a three phase AC-to-AC power converter (e.g., to form a single phase DC-to-AC converter when coupled with the configurable power supply to circuit 110), an AC-to-DC converter (e.g., to form a DC-to-DC converter when coupled with the configurable power supply circuit 110), or the like. Of course, in some embodiments, the modular PV power supply assembly 100 may not include any electronic accessory devices 120 as discussed in more detail below.

Referring now to FIG. 2, in one embodiment, the configurable power supply circuit 110 includes an input converter 202 and an input controller 204 electrically coupled to the input converter 202 and configured to control the operation of the input converter 202 as discussed below. The input converter 202 includes a DC input 206 electrically coupled to the DC source 200 of the PV module 102 (i.e., to the output of the solar cells of the PV module 102) to receive a DC power input signal therefrom and generate a power output based on an internal circuit topology of the input converter 202. That is, as discussed in more detail below, the input converter 202 is configurable to one of a plurality of circuit topologies or configurations based on, for example, the desired type of output of the input converter 202 or the type of electronic accessory device 120 to be used with the configurable power supply circuit 110. In some embodiments, the circuit topology of the input converter 202 is manually configurable (e.g., via a manually selectable switch). Alternatively, in other embodiments, the input controller 204 is configured to control the circuit topology of the input converter 202 via use of one or more control signals as discussed in more detail below.

Depending on the particular circuit topology selected for the input converter 202, the input converter 202 may generate a DC power “pass through” output in which the DC power input signal generated by the DC source 200 is passed through the input converter 202 with minimal or no processing, a processed (e.g., boosted) DC power output for supplying power to one of the DC electronic accessory devices 122, or an “AC power output” for inductively coupling to and supplying power to one of the AC electronic accessory devices 124. It should be appreciated, as discussed in more detail below, the “AC power output” of the input converter may be embodied as or otherwise produce an electromagnetic field for inductively coupling a secondary coil of the corresponding AC electronic accessory device 124.

Referring now to FIG. 3, in one embodiment, the input converter 202 includes a boost converter and filtering circuit 302, which is electrically coupled to the DC source 200. The input converter 202 also includes a circuit topology switch 304. Based on the state or position of the circuit topology switch 304, the circuit topology of the input converter 202 may be modified. The circuit topology switch 304 may be embodied as a physical switch, which may be manually controlled, or as a semiconductor switch such as a transistor (e.g., a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET)). Depending on the state of the circuit topology switch 304 (i.e., whether the switch 304 is in an “on” state or an “off” state), the input converter 202 may be configured to include a buck-boost converter circuit 306 that supplies a DC power output to a DC power bus 308, a bridge pass-through circuit 310 that supplies a minimally processed DC power output to the DC power bus 308, or an inverter circuit 312 that supplies an AC power signal to a transformer primary 314.

One illustrative embodiment of the input converter 202 is illustrated in FIG. 4. In the illustrative embodiment, the boost converter and filtering circuit 302 is embodied as a resonant circuit 400 including a capacitor 402, an inductor 404, and a capacitor 406. Of course, in other embodiments, other boosting and/or filtering circuits may be used. The circuit topology switch 304 is embodied as a semiconductor switch 408, such as a transistor. Additionally, the buck-boost converter circuit 306/inverter circuit 312 are formed from an H-bridge circuit 410. The H-bridge circuit 410 includes four semiconductor switches 412, 414, 416, and 418, which form individual “legs” of the H-bridge. The inductor/transformer primary 314 is coupled between a bridge node 420 (the connection point between the switches 412, 414) and a bridge node 422 (the connection point between the switches 416, 418). The states (on/off) of each of the semiconductor switches 412, 414, 416, 418, and 408 is controlled by corresponding control signals, q1, q2, q3, q4, and q5, which may be generated by the input controller 204.

The DC power bus 308 is illustratively embodied as a capacitor 430. In the illustrative embodiment, the capacitor 430 is embodied as a filter capacitor having a relatively small capacitance. However, in other embodiments, the capacitor 430 may be embodied as one or more capacitors having a large capacitance value and providing an amount of energy storage for the DC output of the configurable power supply circuit 110. In one illustrative embodiment, the capacitor 430 is embodied as one or more non-electrolytic capacitors such as one or more film capacitors. The illustrative transformer primary 314 includes a primary coil 432 and an associated core 434 (e.g., a ferrite core).

As discussed above, the state of the semiconductor switches 412, 414, 416, 418, and 408 controls the circuit topology of the input converter 202. For example, if the circuit topology switch 304 (i.e., semiconductor switch 408 in FIG. 4) is in the off state (i.e., opened), the semiconductor switches 412, 414, 416, 418 are configured as a buck-boost converter 500 as shown in FIG. 5 to provide a boosted or otherwise processed DC power to the DC power bus 308. In such a circuit topology, the transformer primary 314 forms a simple inductor.

Alternatively, when the circuit topology switch 304 (i.e., semiconductor switch 408 in FIG. 4) is in the on state (i.e., closed), the semiconductor switches 412, 414, 416, and 418 are configured as a full bridge inverter circuit 600 as shown in FIG. 6 to provide an AC power signal to the transformer primary 314. In such a circuit topology, the transformer primary 314 generates an electromagnetic field that may be received by a secondary coil to inductively couple the transformer primary 314 to the secondary coil to generate AC power in the secondary coil as discussed in more detail below.

Additionally, when the circuit topology switch 304 (i.e., semiconductor switch 408 in FIG. 4) is in the on state and the switches 412, 416 and/or 414, 418 are in the off or open state, the semiconductor switches 410, 412, 414, and 416 are configured as a DC pass-through circuit 700 as shown in FIG. 7 to provide a DC power output with minimal or no processing. That is, in such a circuit topology, the DC power input from the DC source 200 is passed over the H-bridge circuit and supplied to the DC power bus 308 without being boosted or otherwise processed.

Referring now to FIG. 8, in one embodiment, the junction box 106 includes a power supply housing 800, which houses the configurable power supply circuit 110. The power supply housing 800 illustratively includes a plurality of sidewalls 802, a top or upper wall 804, and a bottom wall 806. In some embodiments, the power supply housing 800 may also include a plurality mounting flanges 808 extending outwardly from the bottom wall 806 to facilitate the attachment or securing of the power supply housing 800 to the rear side 108 of the housing 104 of the PV module 102. To do so, the mounting flanges 808 may include a plurality of mounting holes 810.

As shown in FIG. 8, in some embodiments, the DC output of the configurable power supply circuit 110 is embodied as a pair of DC output wires 820, which extend from one of the sidewalls 802 of the power supply housing 800 of the junction box 106. In such embodiments, the DC output wires 820 may be used to electrically couple multiple modular photovoltaic (PV) power supply assemblies 100 together (e.g., when the configurable power supply circuit 110 is configured in DC “pass through” mode). Alternatively, a DC electronic accessory device 122, such as a DC-to-DC converter, may be electrically coupled to the configurable power supply circuit 110 via the DC output wires 820. The power supply housing 800 may also include one or more attachment connectors 822 for attaching or securing a DC electronic accessory device 122 or an AC electronic accessory device 124 to the junction box 106 as discussed in more detail below.

As shown in FIG. 9, the DC output of the configurable power supply circuit 110 may alternatively or additionally be embodied as a pair of DC receptacles 900 secured to or otherwise defined in one of the sidewalls 802 of the power supply housing 800 of the junction box 106. Of course, in other embodiments, a single dual polarity DC receptacle may be used in place of the pair of signal polarity receptacles 900 illustrated in FIG. 9. The DC receptacles 900 provide an access point to the DC power output of the configurable power supply circuit 110. When not in use, a plug 902 may be inserted into the DC receptacles 900 to environmentally seal the DC receptacles 900 from the surrounding environment. The plugs 902 may be formed from any material capable of being inserted into the DC receptacles 900 and providing a sufficient environmental seal. Alternatively, if the DC receptacles 900 are not to be used, the DC receptacles 900 may simply be sealed using a suitable sealant such as epoxy, silicone, or other non-conductive sealant.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 10, a pair of DC power electrical wires 1000 may be used with the DC receptacles 900. Each DC power wire 1000 includes a plug 1002 located at one end and configured to mate with the corresponding DC receptacle 900. Once mated, the DC power wires 1000 may be used in a manner similar to the DC output wires 820 discussed above in regard to FIG. 8. For example, the DC power wires 1000 may be used to electrically couple multiple modular photovoltaic (PV) power supply assemblies 100 together or couple a DC electronic accessory device 122, such as a DC-to-DC converter, to the configurable power supply circuit 110.

In some embodiments, the DC electronic accessory devices 122 may include DC connectors for interconnecting with the DC receptacles 900. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the DC electronic accessory device 122 may include an accessory housing 1100 having a plurality of sidewalls 1102 and an upper or top wall 1104. A pair of DC connectors 1110 may extend from one of the sidewalls 1102 of the accessory housing 1100. The DC connectors 1110 are sized and position to be received in the corresponding DC receptacles 900 of the power supply housing 800. Additionally, the accessory housing 1110 may include one or more attachment connectors 1112 sized and position to be received in the attachment connectors 822 of the power supply housing 800 to secure the DC electronic accessory device 122 to the junction box 106 as discussed above. The attachment connectors 1112 and/or the attachment connectors 822 may include suitable securing structures 1114 to secure the DC electronic accessory device 122 to the junction box 106 such as springs, clips, catch-pins, and/or the other securing devices. After the DC electronic accessory device 122 has been secured to the junction box 106, the DC output of the junction box 106 is supplied to an internal electronic circuit 1130 of the DC electronic accessory device 122 via the interface between the DC receptacles 900 and the DC connectors 1110. As discussed above, the internal electronic circuit 1130 may be embodied as or otherwise include a low voltage DC-to-DC power converter, a high voltage DC-to-DC power converter, a DC power optimizer, or the like.

Referring now to FIG. 12, in some embodiments, the AC electronic accessory device 124 may also be configured to connect to the power supply housing 800 of the PV module junction box 106. Similar to the DC electronic accessory device 122, the AC electronic accessory device 124 may include an accessory housing 1200 having a plurality of sidewalls 1202 and an upper or top wall 1204. The accessory housing 1200 includes the one or more attachment connectors 1112 sized and position to be received in the attachment connectors 822 of the power supply housing 800 to secure the AC electronic accessory device 124 to the junction box 106 as discussed above. Again, the attachment connectors 1112 and/or the attachment connectors 822 may include suitable securing structures 1114 to secure the AC electronic accessory device 124 to the junction box 106 such as springs, clips, catch-pins, and/or the other securing devices.

Additionally, the accessory housing 1200 includes an inductive coupling connector 1210 extending from one of the sidewalls 1202 of the accessory housing 1200. In such embodiments, the inductive coupling connector 1210 is sized and positioned to be received in a corresponding inductive coupling receptacle 1212 of the power supply housing 800 of the junction box 106. As discussed in more detail below, the inductive coupling connector 1210 includes an internal chamber 1214 in which a secondary coil, or a portion thereof, of an internal electronic circuit 1216 of the AC electronic accessory device is positioned. The secondary coil inductively couples with the transformer primary 314 of the configurable power supply circuit 110 when the inductive coupling connector 1210 is received in the inductive coupling receptacle 1212. In the illustrative embodiment, each of the inductive coupling connector 1210 and the inductive coupling receptacle 1212 has a substantially rectangular cross-section. The cross-sectional area of the inductive coupling receptacle 1212 may be slightly larger than the cross-sectional area of the inductive coupling connector 1210 to allow the male inductive coupling connector 1210 to be received in the female inductive coupling receptacle 1212.

Additionally, in some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 13, the accessory housing 1200 of the AC electronic accessory device 124 may also include one or more DC plugs 1300 extending from the sidewall 1202 of the accessory housing 1200. The DC plugs 1300 are sized and positioned to be received in the DC receptacles 900 when the AC electronic accessory device 124 is coupled to the junction box 106. When so received, the DC plugs 1300 environmentally seal the DC receptacles 900. The DC plugs 1300 may be formed from any suitable material capable of sealing the DC receptacles 900 such as a polymer, rubber, or plastic material.

Referring now to FIG. 14, in one embodiment, the AC electronic accessory device 124 is configured as an AC-to-AC converter 1400. As such, when the AC-to-AC converter 1400 is coupled to the configurable power supply 110, the converter 1400 and the configurable power supply 110 form a DC-to-AC inverter. The converter 1400 includes an output converter 1402 and an output controller 1404. The output controller 1404 is electrically coupled to the output converter 1402 and configured to control the operation of the output converter 1402 to convert an AC waveform induced by the input converter 202 to an output AC waveform suitable for delivery to an AC grid 1406. For example, the output controller 1404 may be configured to use a pulse width modulation algorithm to control the output converter 1402 such that the output AC waveform is pulse width modulated. To do so, the output controller 1404 may provide a plurality of switching and/or control signals to various circuits of the output converter 1402 as described in more detail below.

Additionally, in some embodiments, the converter 1400 may include communication circuitry 1408. The communication circuitry 1408 may be communicatively coupled to the output controller 1404 or may be incorporated therein in some embodiments. The output controller 1404 may utilize the communication circuitry 1408 to communicate with remote devices, such as remote controllers or servers. In one particular embodiment, the communication circuitry 1408 is embodied as a power line communication circuit configured to communicate with remote devices over an AC power line, such as the AC power line interconnects coupled to the output of the output converter 1402. However, in other embodiments, other communication technologies and/or protocols may be used. For example, in some embodiments, the communication circuitry 1408 may be embodied as a wireless or wired communication circuit configured to communicate with remote devices utilizing one or more wireless or wired communication technologies and/or protocols such as Wi-Fi™, Zigbee®, ModBus®, WiMAX, Wireless USB, Bluetooth®, TCP/IP, USB, CAN-bus, HomePNA™, and/or other wired or wireless communication technology and/or protocol.

Referring now to FIG. 15, one embodiment of an output converter 1402 that may be inductively coupled to the input converter 202 of the configurable power supply circuit 110 is shown. The output converter 1402 includes a transformer secondary 1500, which is configured to inductively couple with the transformer primary 314 of the input converter 202 when the AC electronic accessory device 124 is coupled to the junction box 106 as discussed in more detail below. When so coupled, the transformer secondary coil 1500 generates an AC power signal which is rectified by a rectifier circuit 1502 of the output converter 1402. The rectifier circuit 1502 is configured to rectify the AC waveform to a DC waveform, which is supplied to a DC power bus 1504 of the output converter 1402. As discussed below, the DC power bus 1504 may be embodied as one or more capacitors configured to store and release energy. The output converter 1402 also includes an inverter circuit 1506, which is electrically coupled to the DC power bus 1504. The inverter circuit 1506 is configured to convert the DC bus power waveform to an output AC waveform, which is filtered by a filter 1508 prior to being supplied to the AC grid 1406.

One embodiment of the output converter 1402 is schematically illustrated in FIG. 16. The transformer secondary 1500 is embodied as a secondary coil 1600. The secondary coil 1500 includes a plurality of coil turns based on the desired voltage level of the AC output of the output converter 1502. In addition, it should be appreciated that the use of the primary coil 1704 and secondary coil 1600 provides an amount of isolation between the configurable power supply circuit 110 and the output converter 1402. The rectifier circuit 1502 is electrically coupled to the secondary coil 1600 and is configured to convert the AC waveform generated in the secondary coil 1600 to a DC bus waveform supplied to the DC power bus 1504. In the illustrative embodiment, the rectifier circuit 1502 is embodied as a full-bridge rectifier formed from a plurality of diodes 1602, 1604, 1606, 1608. Again, in other embodiments, other circuit topologies may be used in the rectifier circuit 1502.

The DC power bus 1504 is also shown in FIG. 16. The DC power bus 1504 illustratively includes a bus capacitor 1610, which may be embodied as one or more individual capacitive devices. For example, the bus capacitor 1610 may be embodied as one or more film capacitors, electrolytic capacitors, or other capacitive devices. Additionally, in the illustrative embodiment, the power bus 1504 is a DC power bus and receives the DC bus waveform from the rectifier circuit 1502.

The inverter circuit 1506 is illustrative embodied as a bridge circuit formed by a plurality of switches 1620, 1622, 1624, 1626. Each of the switches 1620, 1622, 1624, 1626 are configured to receive a corresponding control signal, q_(OC1), q_(OC2), q_(OC3), q_(OC4), from the output controller 1404 to control operation of the inverter circuit 1506. The output controller 1404 may use PWM to control the switches 1620, 1622, 1624, 1626 to generate a pulse width modulated AC waveform. Of course, it should be appreciated that although the illustrative inverter circuit 1506 is a embodied as a full-bridge circuit, other circuit topologies such as a half-bridge circuit may be used in other embodiments.

The filter 1508 is configured to filter the output voltage by reducing the conducted interference, reducing current ripple, and satisfying regulatory requirements. In the illustrative embodiment, the filter 1508 includes differential-mode inductors 1630, 1632 and a line filter capacitor 1634.

Referring now to FIG. 17, as discussed above, the transformer secondary 1500 of the output converter 1402 is configured to inductively couple with the transformer primary 314 of the input converter 202 when the AC electronic accessory device 124 is connected to the PV module junction box 106. To do so, the AC electronic accessory device 124 may include an inductive coupling connector 1210, which is sized and positioned to be received in a corresponding inductive coupling receptacle 1212 of the junction box 106. As discussed above, the inductive coupling connector 1210 includes an internal chamber 1214 in which an end of a transformer core 1700 is positioned. The secondary coil 1600 of the transformer secondary 1500 is wound around an internal end 1702 of the transformer core 1700 extending from the internal chamber 1214. Of course, in some embodiments the secondary coil 1600, or a portion thereof, may also be located in the internal chamber 1214. As discussed above, the transformer secondary 1500 is electrically connected to rectifier circuit 1502 of the output converter 1402.

Similarly, a primary coil 1704 of the transformer primary 314 is wound around a plurality of sidewalls the form the inductive coupling receptacle 1202. The primary coil 1704 is electrically coupled to other circuitry of the input converter 202 as discussed above. Such positioning of the primary coil 1704 allows the primary coil 1704 and the secondary 1600 to inductively couple when the inductive coupling connector 1210 is received in the corresponding inductive coupling receptacle 1212 even though the configurable power supply circuit 110 and the internal electronic circuit 1204 are physically isolated form each other via the housings 800, 1200. Such inductive coupling allows the input converter 202 to transfer energy to the output converter 1402 via the coils 1704, 1600. Of course, it should be appreciated that the inductive coupling connector 1210 and the inductive coupling receptacle 1212 may be embodied as different connectors and receptacle in other embodiments. Additionally, it should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the AC electronic accessory device 124 may not include the transformer core 1700. In such embodiments, the AC electronic accessory device 124 may also not include the inductive coupling connector 1210 and the PV module junction box 106 may not include the corresponding inductive coupling receptacle 1212. In such embodiments, the primary coil 1704 and the secondary 1600 may be configured to inductively couple across a substantially planar interface (i.e., the interfacing walls of the AC electronic accessory device 124 and the PV module junction box 106 may be void of the inductive coupling connector 1210 and the inductive coupling receptacle 1212).

It should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the AC electronic accessory device 124 may be configured to generate a DC power output. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 18, the AC electronic accessory device 124 may be embodied as an AC-to-DC converter 1800. Similar to the converter 1400, the converter 1800 includes an output converter 1802 and an output controller 1804. The output controller 1804 is electrically coupled to the output converter 1802 and configured to control the operation of the output converter 1802 to convert an AC waveform induced by the input converter 202 to a DC power output for delivery to a DC load 1806.

Additionally, similar to the converter 1400, the converter 1800 may include communication circuitry 1808 in some embodiments. The communication circuitry 1808 may be communicatively coupled to the output controller 1804 or may be incorporated therein in some embodiments. The output controller 1804 may utilize the communication circuitry 1808 to communicate with remote devices, such as remote controllers or servers. For example, the communication circuitry 1808 may be embodied as a wireless or wired communication circuit configured to communicate with remote devices utilizing one or more wireless or wired communication technologies and/or protocols such as Wi-Fi™, Zigbee®, ModBus®, WiMAX, Wireless USB, Bluetooth®, TCP/IP, USB, CAN-bus, HomePNA™, and/or other wired or wireless communication technology and/or protocol.

On illustrative embodiment of a AC-to-DC converter 1802 that may be inductively coupled to the input converter 202 of the configurable power supply circuit 110 is illustrated in FIG. 19. The output converter 1802 includes a transformer secondary 1900, which is configured to inductively couple with the transformer primary 314 of the input converter 202 when the AC electronic accessory device 124 is coupled to the junction box 106 as discussed above. When so coupled, the transformer secondary coil 1900 generates an AC power signal which is rectified by a rectifier circuit 1902 of the output converter 1802. The rectifier circuit 1902 is configured to rectify the AC waveform to a DC waveform, which is supplied to a DC power bus 1904 of the output converter 1402. Similar to the DC power bus 1504, the DC power bus 1804 may be embodied as one or more capacitors configured to store and release energy.

One embodiment of the output converter 1802 is schematically illustrated in FIG. 20. The transformer secondary 1900 is embodied as a secondary coil 2000. The secondary coil 2000 includes a plurality of coil turns based on the desired voltage level of the DC power output of the output converter 1802. That is, the transformer formed from the primary coil 1704 of the configurable power supply 110 and the secondary coil 2000 may be embodied as a step-up transformer (i.e., have a relatively low primary-to-secondary turns ratio) or a step-down transformer (i.e., have a relatively high primary-to-secondary turns ratio). As such, the resultant voltage level of the DC power output of the output converter 1802 can be selected based on the coil turns of the secondary coil. In addition, it should be appreciated that the use of the primary coil 1704 and secondary coil 2000 provides an amount of isolation between the configurable power supply circuit 110 and the output converter 1802.

The rectifier circuit 1902 is electrically coupled to the secondary coil 2000 and is configured to convert the AC waveform generated in the secondary coil 2000 to a DC bus waveform supplied to the DC power bus 2010. In the illustrative embodiment, the rectifier circuit 1902 is embodied as a full-bridge rectifier formed from a plurality of diodes 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008. Again, in other embodiments, other circuit topologies may be used in the rectifier circuit 1902.

The illustrative power bus 1904 includes as a bus capacitor 2010, which may be embodied as one or more individual capacitive devices. For example, similar to the bus capacitor 1610 of the power bus 1504 described above, the bus capacitor 2010 may be embodied as one or more film capacitors, electrolytic capacitors, or other capacitive devices. Additionally, in the illustrative embodiment, the power bus 1904 is a DC power bus and receives a DC bus waveform from the rectifier circuit 1902. The power bus 1904 delivers a DC power output signal to the outputs 2012 of the converter 1802.

Referring now to FIG. 21, in some embodiments, the input controller 204 of the configurable power supply 110 may execute a method 2100 for controlling the input converter 202. The method 2100 begins with block 2102 in which it is determined whether a DC electronic accessory device 122 has been coupled to the PV module junction box 106. The input controller 204 may determine the presence of the DC electronic accessory device 122 based on predetermined information (e.g., a software setting, a physical switch, etc.) or based on sensed signals of the input converter 202 (e.g., based on a sensed DC current output being greater than a predetermined threshold). If the input controller 204 determines that a DC electronic accessory device 122 has been coupled to the PV module junction box 106, the method 2100 advances to block 2104 in which the input controller 204 determines whether DC pass-through has been selected. Again, the input controller 204 may determine the DC pass-through based on predetermined information (e.g., a software setting, a physical switch, etc.) or based on sensed signals of the input converter 202 (e.g., based on a magnitude of a DC output current or on a signal received from the DC electronic accessory device 122).

If the input controller 204 determines that DC pass-through has been selected, the method 2100 advances to block 2106 in which the circuit topology switch 304 is placed in the “on” state. When the switch 304 is closed, the circuit topology of the input converter 202 is modified to a DC pass-through circuit 700 (see FIG. 7) in which the DC output of the DC source 200 is supplied to the DC output of the input converter 202 with minimal or no processing as discussed above.

Referring back to block 2104, if the input controller 204 determines that DC pass-through has not been selected, the method 2100 advances to block 2108 in which the circuit topology switch 304 is opened (i.e., placed in the “off” state). When the switch 304 is opened, the circuit topology of the input converter 202 is modified to a buck-boost converter 500 (see FIG. 5) in which a boosted or otherwise processed DC power output is supplied to the DC output of the input converter 202. Subsequently, in block 2110, the input converter 202 generates the DC output.

Referring back to block 2102, if the input controller 204 determines that a DC electronic accessory device 122 has not been coupled to the PV module junction box 106, the method 2100 advances to block 2112. In block 2112, the input controller 204 determines whether an AC electronic accessory device 124 has been coupled to the PV module junction box 106. The input controller 204 may determine whether the AC electronic accessory device 124 has been coupled to the PV module junction box 106 using any suitable methodology. For example, in some embodiments, the input controller 204 may determine whether a sensed AC output current of an AC output of the configurable power supply circuit 110 is above a predetermined threshold or whether the primary coil 1704 is inductively coupled to the secondary coil 1600, 2000 of the AC electronic accessory device 124. If not, the method 2100 loops back to block 2102. However, if the input controller 204 determines that an AC electronic accessory device 124 has been coupled to the PV module junction box 106 (e.g., based on predetermined data such as a physical switch or based on sensed data such as a sensed current of the transformer primary 314), the method 2100 advances to block 2114. In block 2114, the circuit topology switch 304 is closed (i.e., placed in the “on” state). When the switch 304 is closed, the input converter 202 is configured as a full bridge DC-AC inverter circuit configured to generate an AC waveform across the transformer primary 314. As discussed above, the transformer primary 314 may be inductively coupled with a corresponding transformer secondary 1500, 1900 of an output converter 1402, 1802 to generate an AC power output.

There is a plurality of advantages of the present disclosure arising from the various features of the apparatuses, circuits, and methods described herein. It will be noted that alternative embodiments of the apparatuses, circuits, and methods of the present disclosure may not include all of the features described yet still benefit from at least some of the advantages of such features. Those of ordinary skill in the art may readily devise their own implementations of the apparatuses, circuits, and methods that incorporate one or more of the features of the present disclosure and fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 

1. An assembly for generating an amount of output power in response to a direct current (DC) power input signal, the system comprising: a power supply having (i) a power supply housing and (ii) a configurable power supply circuit located in the housing to receive the DC power input signal, the configurable power supply circuit being selectively configurable, based on at least one control signal, between a first circuit topology to generate a DC power signal at a DC output of the configurable power supply and a second circuit topology to generate an alternating current (AC) power signal at an AC output of the configurable power supply; and an AC electronic accessory device having an accessory housing removably coupled to the power supply housing and including an internal electronic circuit located in the accessory housing, the accessory housing enclosing the internal electronic circuit to physically separate the internal electronic circuit from the configurable power supply circuit, wherein the internal electronic circuit includes an AC input inductively coupled with the AC output of the configurable power supply circuit when the AC electronic accessory device is coupled to the power supply housing. 